Michael Morpurgo leads call for urgent children's reading investment

Authors including Sir Michael Morpurgo and Malorie Blackman have written an open letter urging the government to invest in early years reading.

A BookTrust survey suggests that only half of children aged between one and two from low-income families are read to daily.

The letter notes that some families struggle to access books and support.

"It is not right that children from poorer backgrounds are deprived of a life that is rich in reading," it says.

The letter was addressed to Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

The government said it was "committed to raising literacy standards for children".

Signed by every children's laureate from the past 25 years, the letter says the UK's cost-of-living crisis is "tipping more families into poverty".

Signatories include current laureate Joseph Coelho plus Julia Donaldson, Dame Jacqueline Wilson, Sir Quentin Blake and Michael Rosen.

According to official figures, some 4.2 million children in the UK are now living in deprivation.

"It is vital to recognise that children who read regularly are more likely to overcome disadvantage," the letter continues.

The letter forms part of a new Get Reading campaign from charity BookTrust - of which Sir Michael is president - to support disadvantaged children in family reading.

It follows a recent survey from the charity of over 2,000 low-income families in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, which found less than half of children under seven are being read a bedtime story.

This is despite the early years being a crucial window in child development.

Further research released this month by the BookTrust suggested a quarter of parents struggle to get children under seven to read.

Last year, a study by the National Literacy Trust found more than half of children and young people surveyed said they did not enjoy reading in their free time.

Sir Michael, the best-selling author of over 150 books, including Private Peaceful and War Horse, said the initiative aims to give children "their right" to discover the enjoyment of reading.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme on Wednesday, he said the younger that children are introduced to the power of stories, the better chance there is of putting them on an "extraordinary pathway of knowledge, understanding and empathy... to give [them] some idea of what's out there".

He added that making books more readily available to children in homes and schools is vital as parents battle increasing cost-of-living pressures.

"If you haven't got the books, then what can you do? There are many, many households in this country where there are no books, we know that we still close libraries, we know one in five primary schools do not have libraries in the land of Shakespeare," he said.

"Books need to free at the point of delivery, like the health service."

Former laureate Cressida Cowell, bestselling author and illustrator of the How to Train Your Dragon series, similarly called for "urgent investment" from the government to help rebalance reading opportunities.

A Department for Education spokesperson said: "We are committed to raising literacy standards for children across England, including for those from disadvantaged backgrounds.

"Our Little Moments Together campaign provides free resources and advice for parents to support their children's early development helping schools and parents in creating a positive culture of reading.

"Our reforms - including the focus on phonics and our £67 million English Hubs Programme - are also helping to ensure more children leave primary school with a secure grasp of reading and writing are clearly having a positive impact as primary aged children came fourth of the participating 43 countries in the 2021 Progress in International Literacy Study - making them the best in the western world at reading."

In response, Sir Michael told Radio 4 that these efforts were "clearly not enough" given the financial divisions in the country.

The children's laureate is one of the most prestigious accolades in children's literature, awarded biannually to a renowned writer or illustrator.

Coelho is the 12th holder of the prize.